


In The Nick of Time

by overworkedunderwhelmed



Series: Drabbles Gone Rogue [13]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst and Fluff, Drabble Series, F/M, Identity Reveal, little bit of mystery, university aged
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-07 04:25:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13426779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overworkedunderwhelmed/pseuds/overworkedunderwhelmed
Summary: Time always flew for the superheroes guarding Paris from a never ending string of threats.  Unfortunately for Ladybug and Chat Noir, that passage of time didn't mean that the rest of their civilian lives would remain unchanged...nor would their partners.And sometimes, you don't realize what you might have had until it is nearly gone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Porting this over from Four Corners. From here on in, I'll be writing this one as a separate piece and all subsequent chapters can be found here.
> 
> My rogue drabbles really need to settle down, as I clearly do not understand the concept of One-shots.
> 
> Chapter 2 should be posted sometime tomorrow after enberlight is awake enough to deal with my nonsense. :D

“Yeah.  But in a week from now, everything changes.”

 

Ladybug frowned, her feet dangling over one of the mid-level struts of the Eiffel Tower.  It was the earliest bit of spring, and heavy spring rain forced most of Paris indoors.  It may have been chilly and wet.  But these little post patrol hangouts had become tradition...one that she'd come to look forward to over the years.

 

Absently, she’d wondered what he could possibly mean.  Schools wouldn’t ending for a few months yet, and she was reasonably certain that Chat Noir had already graduated some time ago.  Life and university had kept her busy, but she could still manage to break away and keep their usual protection duties covered.

 

But Chat Noir was surprisingly somber.  He had been uncharacteristically for a few days now, if she was being entirely honest with herself.

 

What she wouldn’t give for a pun out of him, right now.  

 

Rolling her eyes to the heavens, Ladybug begged for the wits and common sense she’d clearly lost along the way.  

 

How _far_ she had fallen over all these years.

 

“Everything?”

 

Chat Noir smiled, just the slightest tug of his lips.  His green eyes distant and distracted, his shoulders flinching.  “Much more than I am used to for sure.  

 

As the years wore, she had come to regret the need to hide behind the masks.  Villains had come and villains would go.  It was her partnership with Chat Noir that lasted forever.

 

But talking about their lives?

 

That had been the one luxury neither of them could afford.

 

Her hand had rested on his shoulder before she had even thought about it.  “You’ll be okay?”

 

He exhaled, patting his gloved claw patted atop hers.  “I’ll manage.  I just worry…”

 

Ladybug paled.  Now she was worrying.  

 

Her lips pursed, as his smile grew rueful.  His eyes locked with hers as he palmed his baton with all of his usual grace, unfazed by the rain.   “I probably ought to be going.  Same time tomorrow?”

 

She nodded, biting back the impulse to tug him back and find out what had him so rattled, as he dropped from the beam without his usual flourish.  

 

Her answer was dampened by the rain.  “Same time as always, _Chaton_.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to enberlight for not yelling at me for sending this to her for beta reading at an absurd hour of the early morning. :D

Marinette kneeled on the ground, her arms buried in a mass of satin and tulle, a pair of pins tucked carefully between her teeth. 

Every lock of her hair seemed intent on slipping loose from a mess of hair ties and bobby pins and barrettes. But she’d been so focused, she only was noticing it now. 

Chuckling, Tikki had offered a helping paw, sneaking the wayward strands back behind her ear for the moment. 

It was hard not to be so engrossed. She was nearly done, after all.

One by one, Marinette slid the last of the pins into place, carefully checking the hem at the bottom and laying the fabric flat to the ground to ensure all looked perfect. 

Narrowing her eyes, she stood up, checking it from every angle with a practiced eye to how the fabric hung off the dressform.

The satin of the mermaid silhouette shimmered tucked in a with more forgiving, corseted back, and the heavy foam of fabric spilling around the dressform base. The spring of colored thread embroidered along the bodice, the barest hint of a pop of color to draw the eye.

People _would_ be paying attention to it after all.

She hadn’t exactly been keeping it a secret about the fact that she was making the dress herself. After she’d come to them with questions, several of her professors had expressed a keen interest in seeing the finished project based purely upon her initial designs, which boded well.

It was clear that the project itself was ambitious. But even if it was above her technical level right now, she couldn’t keep herself from trying to make it. 

It was a matter of principle.

It was all the more reason why everything had to he _perfect_.

Marinette worried her lip, double checking her measurements on the hemline.

She hadn’t noticed her mother calling, until Sabine stood right beside her.

“Marinette. Sweetheart, you need to eat.”

“Oh!” Blinking, Marinette’s eyes dropped to the plate in her mother’s hands. “Sorry, Mom. I completely lost track of time.”

Sabine chuckled. “I figured that after you didn’t respond when I’d shouted up the steps a while ago and you didn’t respond. Your father had to head down to finish up an order for tomorrow, or he might have brought this up to you a few minutes ago.” Proudly, her mother inched closer to examine the finer detail on the bodice. “I had to shoo him away so he wouldn’t try to come up and see it, until you are all done.”

Nodding, Marinette held her breath, anxious for the littlest bit of critique. Designs had been one thing. The nearly finished product...well, that was another thing entirely.

“Your dress is coming together so well!”

Beaming, Marinette slowly slumped down to the plate at her computer desk, nibbling through her supper as relief quickly returned to her system

“I know you wanted to keep working, but it won’t do you any good to fall asleep drooling over the dress.” Sabine smirked. “You don’t have time to get it dry cleaned and have all the preparations ready.”

Marinette snorted, a weary smile pursing her lips as she’d eaten a bit more. “Thanks, Maman.”

Her mother grinned, ruffling her hair. Suddenly, her brows knitted as she pointed to the planner on Marinette’s desk. “Didn’t you have something on schedule for this evening?”

Glancing at the time, Marinette blanched, barely suppressed the urge to freak out. Her smile widened anxiously as she kissed her Mother on the forehead. “Let me finish dinner and then I’ll need to get moving.”

She could just make it in time to the church -- but only if she went as Ladybug.

* * *

As the driver slowly wove down the crowded street, Adrien mulled over his schedule from Nathalie. He had been lucky enough that it had been a little more empty for a while, but he’d only have a few more days’ reprieve.

Wearily, he leaned back into the seat. 

Until he’d spotted that flash of red, his eyes helplessly drawn to her like a beacon, called to her magical pull.

“Ladybug?” he murmured, shifting himself between the seats to track her movements as best he could from this poor vantage point. 

What was _she_ doing out now? Patrol wasn’t until much later in the evening. And there wasn’t an Akuma alert hitting his phone at the moment.

But Adrien lost his visual track of her just before the car had stopped, leaving him to puzzle what might have brought her over to this neighborhood as he exited the car and headed inside. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With thanks to Locura for a very clever idea in the comments section, which she graciously allowed me to borrow. :D

Adrien ducked into the shadows first before heading inside, his eyes still scanning the skyline for the slightest hint of red and spots.

“Plagg,” he hissed, as soon as he had safely turned the corner. “Can you tell if she is still around?”

Plagg grumbled from the bag, narrowing his eyes as he rolled back onto his side, away from the dimming light. “That’s not how my powers work. If you’re so curious, you should focus on why she might be here.”

Adrien sighed. “Well, it is a church. She could...work here?”

Plagg snorted. “As what? A gargoyle buttressed along the eaves?

Scowling, Adrien ran an anxious hand through his hair. “I dunno. Maybe she is more like a sister?”

At that, Plagg’s eyes widened for just a moment, before he succumbed to a fit of cackles. “Well that would explain why she’d been rebuffing every one of your advances.”

With a sigh, Adrien leaned back against the building, eyes again scanning the heavens. “If you’re done…”

Unfortunately, that only made his kwami laugh harder. 

Adrien shook his head, answering a worried text from Nino. He would be inside just as soon as Plagg quieted down.

Plagg was still wiping his mitts across his eyes to quiet the tears. “Ah, kid. It’s far more like she is here to get married.”

Adrien sighed, wondering if Plagg would ever acknowledge that he technically wasn’t a child anymore. “Not everyone is here to get married, Plagg. It’s a walkthrough session. Some people are bringing along family members...or friends in the wedding party.”

Plagg grinned widely. “So...which is she?”

Resolute, Adrien tucked his kwami’s head back down into his bag. “You think I don’t I intend to find out?”

* * *

Nino waited for him near the back of the church. “Dude. Where were you?”

Adrien shrugged, as Nino fell in step beside him. His voice was hushed so it wouldn’t echo in the cavernous space “We got held up in traffic on the way over. The shoot ran a bit later than expected.” His eyes scanned the smaller crowd of people inside far closer to the altar. He’d spotted the girls lingering at the back of the pack.

Alya was busy typing notes into her phone, while Marinette’s gaze flitted around the church. He could see her turn back and whisper to Alya, probably with notes on the venue itself.

The smaller crowd was following a rather genial looking priest in all black with only the sliver of a white collar at his throat to signify his role. He couldn’t see half of them clearly, but there was no clear sign of anyone who looked even remotely like his Lady.

His eyes drifted back to Marinette and Alya, who had noticed their approach.

Marinette smiled sweetly as Nino drifted over to Alya’s side. “You made it.”

“I promised I would, didn’t I.” That smile was infectious. He leaned down slightly to whisper to her, even as his eyes seemed to drift towards the crowd in front of them. “I just hadn’t figured on the hold up.”

She chuckled softly. “I know what you mean. I barely got here in time myself. I was a little too busy--”

Blinking, he tore his attention away from his search and back down to her. “Busy with what?”

“Ah. Wedding arrangements.” Her smile was rueful, her finger tapping lightly over her lips. “Can’t spoil the surprise.”

* * *

Marinette grinned as Adrien kept leaning down with funny observations. 

His attention was all over the place, from the high ceilings and the rather avant garde architecture choices right down to the crowd in front of him.

But it was clear he was distracted. 

Frowning, Marinette crossed her arms over her chest.

The church itself was beautiful. It just wouldn’t work for what they had in mind, not the least of which was the very tight turn around until the wedding itself. There had been a cancellation, but there wasn’t enough time for the pastor’s pre-martial counseling -- which itself was kind of a dealbreaker. 

She couldn’t help but notice when Adrien’s comments had tapered off, and he himself was a little withdrawn. 

“Are you alright?” She had set her hand over his.

Adrien blinked, a forced smile on his lips. One he didn’t think she would notice.

She might not have if she hadn’t spent the last few years getting used to his proximity. Especially when he flipped his hand over, tangling his fingers with hers and offering a gentle squeeze.

“I’m okay.” He murmured. “Just...a little trouble at work.”

* * *

Moonlight was always a little less romantic when you found yourself playing third wheel.

Alya and Nino were cuddled beside each other as they’d exited the church. 

Sighing, Marinette had been right on their heels.

Adrien had another of his father’s absurdly early photo sessions, so his driver apparently had insisted on waiting for him and getting him home as soon as he could break away. 

He’d promised to write up his thoughts in the morning, so a firm decision could be made as soon as possible.

But the night air was chilly -- at least without the aid of her spots -- and she felt Adrien’s absence keenly, even as Alya had pulled her up to walk beside her.

As much as she wanted to talk venue details with Alya and Nino, she could use a rooftop run to cool her head.

It was half of what had her scanning the skyline, scanning for an easy yo-yo access point with a nice, dark alley beside it.

She hadn’t expect to spot Chat Noir lurking upon the rooftops. 

It was hard to tell at this distance, but it seemed like he was cuddled up with a gargoyle, looking just as forlorn as he had the night before.

Unfortunately, Marinette wasn’t the only one to have found him.

Alya already had her phone out and was scouting for an accessible building with a good angle to film. “Think we can catch some good footage of him?” 

Nino sighed, but dutifully allowed himself to be dragged off. “Worth a shot, I guess. Especially if he goes on the move.”

Alya had already snagged the higher quality digital camera from her bag. She’d had it out earlier to snag better photos from inside the church.

Nino helped with the finding and prepping the lens. “Are you coming with, Marinette?”

“I think I’ve got too much to work on right now.” Her hands came up automatically, waving the pair of them off. 

Alya nodded. “Your to-do list is a little intense.”

Nino crossed his arms. “Only if you’re sure.”

“Honestly, don’t worry about me.” She smiled a little too widely. “I’ll just call a cab to take me straight home.”

After all, she had a far more effective way to catch a certain moody kitty. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly getting back into the swing of a more normal writing schedule! Life seems to be settling down -- at least a little bit.


End file.
